Evaluation of the Efficacy of Fluoride Varnish on Enamel Demineralization in Orthodontic Patients: A Split-mouth Clinical Trial

摘要

The incidence of white spot lesions in patients treated with fixed appliances is very common and can be seen as early as four weeks after band or bracket placement. Many methods can decrease or prevent white spot lesions: improving oral hygiene, modifying diet (low carbohydrate) and treating with topical fluoride. Most of these methods, however, rely on patient compliance, which is unreliable and therefore not compliable. The method thus selected is the application of fluoride varnish. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the short-term effect of a single-dose application of fluoride varnish on enamel demineralization adjacent to bonded brackets. Fifteen patients who needed at least two premolars extracted for orthodontic reasons were selected. In each patient, one premolar was considered the test tooth and the other the control. Brackets were bonded on both the premolars, but only the test teeth received fluoride varnish. The premolars were extracted after 90 days and buccolingual sections of the teeth were evaluated with polarized light microscopy. The mean depth of demineralization in each lesion was then measured.